How to make Google Maps and Apple Maps show you the actual fastest route, every time

When it comes to driving, most of us want to get to our destination as quickly (and safely) as possible. After all, given how bad sitting behind the wheel is for your health, who wants to be in a car any longer than they have to be?

Most of us might expect that, when it comes to getting directions, the world’s two biggest mapping apps, Google Maps and Apple Maps, would show us the route that gets us there as fast as possible. But that’s not always the case. Here’s how to make Google Maps and Apple Maps show you the actual fastest route.

How to get the fastest route in Google Maps

Google Maps, the most-downloaded mapping app in the world in 2025, according to AppTweak data, doesn’t show you the fastest route when you search for directions between places. Instead, the app defaults to showing you the most fuel-efficient route.

While this is commendable from an environmental perspective and helpful to those interested in saving money, because you’ll waste as little fuel as possible, it also means that the default route that Google Maps provides you could be one to five minutes longer, according to Upper, a logistics company.

Fortunately, if your priority is arriving at your destination as quickly as possible, Google Maps lets you disable its default behavior of showing the most fuel-efficient routes first. Here’s how:

1. Open the Google Maps app.
2. Tap your Google account profile picture.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Tap Navigation.
5. Under the “Route options” header, toggle the “Prefer fuel-efficient routes” switch to Off.

Now Google Maps should default to showing you the fastest route every time. It may mean you burn more fuel, but if the least time behind the wheel is your priority, this is the setting to adjust.

How to get the fastest route in Apple Maps

Apple Maps handles default route suggestions differently from Google Maps. Apple’s mapping solution won’t necessarily show you the fastest or most fuel-efficient route as a first choice. Instead, it may default to showing you what it has learned to be your preferred route.

You see, Apple Maps has a feature called “Preferred Routes” that uses on-device processing to learn the routes you typically drive and suggests them to you by default.

The problem here is that these preferred routes may not be the fastest. That’s why, if you want Apple Maps to give you the fastest possible routes, it’s a good idea to disable the Preferred Routes feature. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap Maps.
4. Tap Location.
5. Under the heading “Allow More Location Access,” toggle the “Preferred Routes & Predict Destinations” switch to Off.

Make sure Apple and Google Maps aren’t avoiding tolls and highways

No driver likes tolls, because they cost money and traffic can slow around the booths. And many drivers dislike highways because you have to share the road with other vehicles traveling at speeds you may find uncomfortable.

But sometimes the shortest route between point A and point B may involve a highway or toll booth. That’s why if you want to ensure Google Maps and Apple Maps show you the fastest possible route, you should make sure you haven’t told the apps to avoid highways or tolls.

Here’s how to check that in Google Maps:

1. Open Google Maps.
2. Tap your Google account profile picture.
3. Tap Settings.
4. Under the “Route options” heading, make sure the “Avoid tolls” and “Avoid highways” toggles are switched to Off.

And here’s how to check in Apple Maps:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap Maps.
4. Under the “Directions” header, tap Driving.
5. Under the “Avoid” heading, make sure the “Tolls” and “Highways” toggles are switched to Off.

These tweaks, along with the measures above, should ensure that Google Maps and Apple Maps now show you routes that help you arrive at your destination as quickly as possible.